


Coming Home

by Flika



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, First Meeting, Fixing cars, Slow Burn, adult betty and veronica, ceo!veronica, coming home AU, mechanic!betty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 17:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9558680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flika/pseuds/Flika
Summary: Veronica and Betty are both at crossroads in their lives. When Betty stops to fix a stranger’s car, their paths merge into one.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @lesbetty! Hope you liked this :)

Veronica stepped out of her black Lexus, walking quickly to avoid her stilettos sinking into the wet grass. Flicking her black hood up to protect her hair from the raindrops beginning to fall, Veronica approached the car’s hood in mincing steps.

Her assistant had tried to convince her to take a plane, or at least a chauffeur. But Veronica had insisted on driving herself to clear her head. She needed the time to think, and to take the abrupt change between Riverdale and New York City gradually. Her assistant had put up a fight, but nobody said no to Veronica Lodge. Cancel my meetings meant cancel my meetings, no questions asked. When her mother called, she’d come. Veronica had cursed herself when she heard the message left on her answering machine—she never let her mother go to voicemail, but she’d been in a meeting and her assistant hadn’t pulled her out. Of course, her mom had said, there’s no need to come, but I just miss you is all. Don’t go out of your way, but I’m just a bit lonely. Don’t drive up, just call me back when you have a chance, Ronnie. I haven’t heard from you in too long.

So Veronica got into her car and drove three hundred miles, because her mom needed her. And now, only two miles from town, she was stranded in the rain with a broken car. It was no use checking out the engine—Ronnie wouldn’t know how to fix it anyway. But at least it wasn’t smoking or anything, she counted her blessings. Shuffling in her black purse, Veronica pulled out her blackberry and questioned who to call. Her mom? Was Archie still in town? She wasn’t sure she had any friends left in Riverdale willing enough to do her the favor of picking her up. It was a mute point though—her blackberry was a dead brick. Ronnie cursed, struggling to keep her careful composure. Fine, she would walk then.

Veronica slung her bag back over her shoulder and pulled off her heels, shuddering in the rain. Walking barefoot in the rain—what a way to come back to Riverdale. A red truck drove by, and for a second Veronica’s heart flickered with the hope it would stop. But before Veronica could jump out of the way a sheet of water splashed up against her bare legs.

“Hey!” Veronica shouted, “ASSHOLE!” Now with a broken down car, no ride, barefoot, and _wet_ , Ronnie shook with anger. All composure lost, she looked up the sky and _screamed_. Screamed because of course some east coast hick would splash her and not even have the decency to stop to apologize. Screamed because her whole life was work and more work, because all her friends were schmoozing business contacts and she hadn’t had a real boyfriend—or girlfriend—in years. Screamed because trying to repair her father’s corrupted legacy meant giving up even the semblance of a social life for a dream she barely wanted anymore. Screamed because she couldn’t even see her mother without coming back to this godforsaken town where everyone hated her. Veronica’s voice broke, and coming back to earth she glared at the backside of the truck, trailing off into the distance.

The truck u-turned.

Veronica stared in awe as the truck drove towards her, pulling up before slowing to a stop carefully out of splashing range. She sighed, putting her hand on her hip as she waited to learn the identity of whatever redneck dude had splashed her. Pursing her red lips, Veronica wondered if he would hit on her, offer her help, or both. The door of the truck swung open, and out stepped a skinny blonde girl who couldn’t have weighed more than one hundred and twenty pounds. Veronica tittered at herself, a bit amused at herself for assuming such a different owner of the truck. The blonde girl was tall, with long legs and a slender figure, and as she ran towards Veronica she was reminded of a colt first learned how to run. She looked young, too, and couldn’t have been more than a few years out of high school.

“I am so sorry! I was driving close to see if you needed any help, and I totally forgot about the wet road. I thought your car might have broken down—did your car break down? I didn’t mean to splash you—oh my god, are you wet. You’re wet. You can warm in my car, and I have a towel in the back. I can’t believe I splashed you like a complete dolt,” The girl bluttered out, blurring her words into one waterfull of apologies. “Oh! I’m Betty Cooper.”

Veronica couldn’t help but chuckle, surprised to feel her anger softening into amusement at the situation. The girl’s rushed apologies were endearing, and it had been an accident, anyway. Plus it didn’t help the girl was cute. She stuck out her hand with a grin, “Veronica Lodge.”

Betty shook her hand with too much eagerness. Veronica raised an eyebrow, “So, about that car ride?”

Betty nodded eagerly, offering Veronica an arm for support and guiding her to her truck, opening her door for her like a gentleman. Veronica breathed a sigh of relief as hot air began to blast, warming her hands on the heater vents. Veronica closed her eyes, marinating in the dry heat. She could feel her dress starting to dry already.

“I can probably fix your car, if that’s okay with you,” Betty said, breaking the silence. “I’m a mechanic—well, a part time mechanic—I know how to fix cars, is my point.”

Veronica flicked her eyes open, only then realizing they were driving back to her car, not towards town. “Yeah, that’s okay with me,” Veronica agreed.

Rolling up to where Veronica’s car had sputtered out on the side of the road, Betty shifted the truck into park and hopped out, “You can stay nice and dry in here, and feel free to turn on the radio.”

Veronica just watched as Betty grabbed some tools from the back of her truck and got to work under the hood of the car. Veronica had no idea _what_ Betty was doing rooting around in the hood, but a pretty girl bent over the hood of a car...it wasn’t a bad picture. Veronica shook her head at herself. A stranger standing in the rain to fix her car only out of the goodness of her heart, and all she could think about was her ass—it really had been too long since she’d gotten laid. But that embarrassment didn’t mean Ronnie was too proud to check her out. Her daisy duke shorts didn’t leave much to the imagination, and in the rain her black muscle t-shirt was starting to stick to the curves of her back. No, not a bad picture at all...

Betty suddenly turned around, smiling and wiping her hair out of her face as she trotted back over. Veronica blushed and coughed, feeling caught, even though she knew Betty couldn’t possibly have seen her staring. Betty threw her toolbag into the truck bed and swung open the truck door, hopping back in.

“Ok so, good news, it’s an easy fix, and doesn’t look like there’s any permanent damage. Bad news—I don’t have the tools on hand to fix it, and it’ll take some time, so i’ll have to take it back to the shop. So I’ll give you a ride to wherever you need going, and come back and tow it later.”

Veronica couldn’t help but notice how much calmer Betty seemed than before, how much more confident she seemed in her words when she was talking shop, “If you’re willing, that would be amazing. Thank you so much.”

Betty nodded, smiling as she started the truck, “So, where should I drop you off?”

“Uh, The Pembrooke,” Veronica said.  
  
Betty’s eyebrows shot up, “Oh! _That_ Lodge. I guess I should have known, with the car and all—very nice car. So you’re the heir to the Lodge fortune everyone’s been gossiping about...” Betty trailed off.

Veronica laughed, ducking her head, “Yeah, I guess.  
  
Betty blushed, twirling her ponytail nervously, “I didn’t mean it like that—just that, you’re a bit Riverdale famous.”

Veronica groaned, “Trust me, I know.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride, only the steady song of rain to be heard. Veronica watched out the rain-striped window as they passed the familiar buildings of the Riverdale downtown—City Hall, Pickins Park, the Bijou Movie Theatre, the Fire Station, the 24-hour Diner, POP’S. So many memories, good and bad. It was strange how fast things moved back in New York, and how slow they moved in Riverdale. It was like every time she came back, almost nothing had changed.

Veronica pulled herself out of her memories, turning to look at the girl besides her instead. Betty was pretty, in a plain sort of way that snuck up on you. Her previously animated face was stoic, and Veronica wondered what she was thinking up. There was something about Betty that made Ronnie ache to know more about her. Under Betty’s preppy and perky exterior, there was something mysterious—a person who had seen things, been through shit. Veronica wondered if she would ever get to know Betty well enough to learn what she hiding.

Betty pulled up in front of the towering architecture of the Pembrooke, gargoyles and spires looming overhead. The apartment complex was shockingly beautiful, and more than a little expensive. It had seemed like downsizing when they had moved there, but through Betty’s shocked eyes Veronica winced at how showy the building was.

“So, I guess this is your stop,” Betty whispered, not tearing her eyes away from the extravagant building.

Veronica gathered her things and moved to open the car door. On a whim, Veronica leaned back over to the driver’s side of the car, pecking Betty on the check. “Thank you, thank you so much. I’ve been missing that Riverdale kindness, the willingness to help a stranger.

Betty blushed, grinning, “It was really no problem at all...just call Gil’s Auto Body and ask for me, I’ll get everything worked out with your car in no time.”

Veronica smiled and nodded, “I will.” Hopping out of the truck, Veronica made her way into the building she had spent four years of her life in, the place she was looking forward to calling home again now, at least temporarily.

Veronica walked up the marble steps of the Pembrooke and made her way to her mother’s apartment. Unlocking the door with the key her mother had mailed her months ago, Veronica crept inside, not wanting to wake her mother. Smithers must have gone home for the night, because all the lights were off inside and only moonlight through the tall windows lit up the apartment. Veronica found her mother asleep curled up on the couch, still in the clothes she had worn the day before. She brushed her mother’s hair out of her face tenderly, not meaning to wake her up.

Hermione Lodge stirred, blinking open her sleep-hooded eyes, “You didn’t call.”  
  
“My phone died,” Veronica whispered. “I’m here now.”

Veronica kicked off her heels and laid down next to her mother, finally home in her arms. They drifted off to sleep, both letting the weight of the world go for a few hours of rest.


End file.
